Teaching the Bible with Crafts- Mark and Becky Bryan

Okay, so I'm Terry Kammerzell and I'm here with Creation Fellowship Santee and

we're a group of friends bound by our common agreement that the creation account, as told in Genesis, is a true

depiction of how God created life and everything else in just six days a few thousand

years ago.

We've been meeting in this online platform since June of 2020 and we've been blessed by lots of

presentations by various speakers who bring a blend of creation science,

current events, and even other theology presentations.

So if you, oh I just spaced out, we all do that, right?

So anyway, you can find links to most of our past presentations by typing in tinyurl

.com forward slash cfsantee.

That's c like creation, f like fellowship, and santee is spelled s -a -n -t -e -e.

You can also email us at creationfellowshipsantee at gmail .com so that you get

on our email list.

We never spam but we'll send you links to all of our upcoming speakers which is a great

and exciting thing because if you do visit that page that I mentioned you'll see that we have quite a few speakers booked out

for the rest of this calendar year.

Tonight we're very happy to have Mark and Becky Bryan.

Mark and Becky Bryan have been missionaries in Austria serving for over 50 years.

They are sent out by Bible Fellowship Church in Hemet, California and they are funded

through the D .M. Stearns Missionary Fund.

They have a unique ministry ministering to children using Bible -based

crafts that they have created and now they are actually back in the United States and

they're in Idaho helping with the Good News Club through Child Evangelism Fellowship.

It's special for me to have them here because Mark and Becky Bryan have been friends of my family since before I was

born and I even got the privilege of visiting them in Austria back in 2014.

So with that I am happy to introduce to you Mark and Becky.

Go ahead.

Hello, yeah it's Mark and Becky Bryan and we as Terry said

we've served in Christ in Austria served Christ in Austria for over 50 years from

early 1971 to through 19 or 2022

and we're thankful for this opportunity to share about this one aspect of our

ministry over these years.

So the first 10 years of our ministry

in Austria was in local evangelical churches in Vienna,

capital of Austria and we during that

that time God gave us four sons and it was great having them in

later hosts and this so we didn't

stay in Vienna.

We had ministry in another province of Austria but then

in 1991 we moved to Klagenfurt in the south of Austria

and over the years Becky had many opportunities to teach Bible lessons during

programs for children at church retreats and we had a lot of time with

children and she got as she had all these opportunities to teach

Bible lessons and so it was a very

valuable time but we had to use this

time wisely and so Becky began praying and asking the Lord for

creative ideas for Bible lesson centered craft projects that would be

directly related to the Bible lessons so

not just the Bible lessons.

We wanted everything that we did with the children to connect and relate to each other

so Mark of course had to know all of the lessons just as well as I did but he chose

and accompanied the songs that were directly related to the Bible lessons and

oftentimes we'd have such a large group the children would be usually 4 to 12 years old

and if we had quite a few children we would divide the group up so Mark would

do the lessons with the older kids and I would do with the younger kids.

So we know that children ages 4 to 14 especially

love doing craft projects so when we

started doing this with the children we saw that they kept the projects

for many years and they were reminded of the Bible lessons for at least as long

as they kept the crafts.

So as an example of this we could give you many examples but there's one girl Astrid

she was with us at retreats over many years and later we saw her

she was done school she'd done her nurses training and we were at a wedding where she was and she came up to us

and she said do you know what I have in my wallet.

Well money.

Well she's well no no no yes I do have some money but she pulled out this one

thing that was part of a whole series of lessons that we were

doing and this had all the lessons and the verses and everything on it that she says I

keep this with me to remind me of what I learned during those days of this

particular project and I can carry it with me because it's so small but all the other bigger things she had at

home still in her room to reminder of God's word that she learned during a

week -long retreat many different years after another.

Another example was two kids Leo and Pia.

They were already done they're like high school and both in university

and their mom wanted to clean out their rooms and she asked them well what can I get rid of.

And she said you can get rid of everything but just not the crafts that we did with Mark and Becky because

those are important to us and those remind us of God's word and things that we learned during the retreat

times.

And before we left Austria we visited a family that we've been close to for a long long time.

Their boys are still young still in school and of course through COVID we missed

many retreat times because they were all canceled but they went and brought out all the

things that they'd done with us in the past and they have them in their room so that they can look at them and see them

every day.

They see the verses that are on there reminded of God's word and God's faithfulness and love for them.

That's an encouragement to us to see that kids spend a lot of time and they

enjoy doing the crafts and they keep the things that they've made.

So we said we Becky had especially many

opportunities to teach bible lessons at seminars and week weekend

retreats for churches.

We had time to do crafts that took time.

So one of one example of this is that makes

these more valuable to the children as shown here it's a

two -sided craft project and on each

side there are two pictures so and when it's folded at one

angle you see one picture and another angle you see the other picture.

And on the reverse side you can see a bible verse and then

the graphics art thing.

Picture showing something related to the lessons on

joseph.

Yeah.

And a couple of bible lesson centered craft projects that we did.

And then our lighthouse mobile.

How do you say that in english anyway.

And yes our grandson who was doing it at our home.

But we did this with a group of children at a sunday

meeting of churches in our province and it's um with bible

verses on each part of this mobile mobile i don't

know how it's pronounced in english.

Uh but um yeah so we have scripture for the children

to remind them of god's promises and truths.

So our oldest son christopher uh he's a graphic arts

and design guy and he would help us with a lot of the craft

projects that we did.

Becky had ideas that she would pray and ask the lord for but he then put

things um do the artwork.

Yeah the artwork.

This is our creation days project that he designed even while he was still

studying graphic arts.

So it's an emphasis on the six days of creation and then the seventh day of

rest.

And then he also helped with the design of the noah pop -up

and that that's a really cool thing.

It just uh is one page that opens up with the ark and the

rainbow and noah and his family and that's really cool.

So becky would explain a bible lesson center craft project at church retreat

and help the kids understand what they're actually um

doing and needed to do.

And this little boy has an interesting history looks like an angel but at

first he wasn't.

He's very troubled little boy and ended up at three years old living with

foster family.

But um we only had him for two different retreats.

In this picture he was five and so we had him the following year as well.

And then we haven't seen him for many years uh partly because of covid and all the

restrictions.

But um not every church had a retreat every year so we

didn't know what had happened in his life.

But this past summer in austria we saw him at a wedding.

Actually his parents came running up to us and said oh you're here you're here.

We're so glad you're here.

We are so thankful for all that the time that you invested in our son and

the crafts that he made with you guys during those two retreat times

are still on his desk and we talk about them nearly every day especially the

the lessons that you gave on forgiving and being forgiven and being able to forgive and

that's only jesus who can do that in our lives.

And said it's it's a daily topic that we remember that

god loves us so much and he wants to forgive us.

And robert is now 12 and he's taller than i am but

uh it was a blessing to see that god's word is still speaking to him and still really

present in his life.

So um we spent a lot of time helping the

children with these bible lessons and our craft projects and it's a real blessing to us as well

to them and to their parents.

And we would um do um help with a club

in a place called neumarkt in our province.

No it's actually in the uh northern province but just over the border from our province

and our co -worker from the german mission that we had gone with uh was there

and needed help um doing this club that she had and

so we did crafts in on the living room table and on the floor of the living

room and and they because it was kind of

cramped it was we were spread out everywhere.

But there were two girls that would come very faithfully and they still are going and

they would ask if they could do two or three projects in order

um to give them to friends that couldn't come to the club or to relatives and

they could tell them about the bible lesson and give them something that goes along with it to remind

their friends about god's love and how much he

wants a relationship with us.

So your children uh again doing bible lesson centered craft projects

doing a program for the kids at a church retreat.

And then as you see there are several projects in front of them that they were working

on that went along with the lessons that they were getting.

Our craft projects are in three languages german english and spanish and so we have

all the different languages represented there.

Yeti was in becky sunday in vienna in the 70s

and she's still helping us with the german.

And ibbet is from columbia in south america and she translates for us

in spanish.

Very thankful for them and their help and it's really a joy to see

spanish speaking children with their leaders showing off their

bible lesson center projects and

some german -speaking children from vienna area

with their projects and our craft projects are also valuable for

supporting bible truths in english too.

And it's really wonderful to see children who are happy about the

time they've had with us and the projects that they were able to do and we know that they keep

these things they spent time doing them and they're valuable to them and they're thankful

for them.

And one group gave us a thank you card

which was this very heavy tile and

thank you very much and not all the children did get to

sign it.

In this group there are about 50 children and some had already left before they got their names on the tile.

But there are three children here from one family.

There's christoph orzy and phony.

And the three we had had at different retreats from the time.

Uh orzy was three phony was five christoph was seven and

uh we saw them every year at a church retreat and to see their growth and their faith.

Uh we're thankful there for their parents and most of these kids being in local churches

uh do have parents that know the lord and are helping them to grow in their walk with christ.

But the parents of these three we know have kept

all of the projects that they made with us and said that they contribute a lot of the the

discipleship and the growth of their children from that concentrated week that we'd have at the church retreat.

Well in the meantime christoph is um in his

early 30s he told us when he was about 11 at one of the

retreats he said you know i think god wants me to be a missionary.

I think he wants me to be a doctor like a medical missionary and i think

god wants me to go to mongolia.

He said we'll be praying with you christophus that's what god wants.

He will lead you and he'll plan your life that you can do just that for him.

And um christopher is a eye surgeon.

He's married let's say i think he got married about two years ago.

His wife is a nurse and they go on mission trips to mongolia to do um

yeah help as medical missionaries.

Froney uh does a lot of the work with a christian bookstore are in vienna

helping also set up the big book table at the christmas market in the center of

vienna.

Their youngest sister orzy is a teacher and is also in charge

of the it's like a type of awana program for children in all of

austria and we've seen god really do his work in these three

lives.

And we know it's not just them.

There are many who have also gone on into missions.

We know a young gal and her family they're missionaries in scotland.

Another has gone to africa and there are other places where many of the kids who've um been

encouraged to be faithful and following the lord and oftentimes their parents have

said it's because they have those bible verses and those crafts on their tables on their walls everywhere

that they see them every day.

So another of our projects uh it's called the books of the bible

bookshelf and uh it helps them to remember what the

books of the bible are.

And it has a the um wordless book color uh in

colors in in pearls at the bottom there so it helps them to remember that the

gospel too also there on that little plaque it says read your bible every day.

And we know many were encouraged to do that.

We're thankful um three sisters from the church we're

in at last uh did this um advent

calendar.

So each day in december leading up to christmas they had

a picture to put on and a picture that they where

they colored it and you know it was an advent calendar.

But they had also a small devotional to go along with that picture that they spent some time in the

word thinking about what happened um leading up to christmas and

the different figures that may have or may not have been there but using the scripture to

direct things that they could learn.

So of course their artwork uh varied but they

enjoyed doing it and profited from it then through the

just doing it and through the scripture that they were given then to accompany that

these sisters also made our god's message in colors craft it goes along with the

colors of the wordless book.

But we uh have these little pockets on the left that

figures colored figures could go in they could take out um

and explain it would help them explain the gospel to their friends.

And these three sisters actually did that they were sharing the gospel

with their friends using this so that was real a real blessing.

Um it's another more simple of our craft projects where it's

we call it the good shepherd name banners and and at a kid's celebration in

townford austria in 2019 we did that with um 85

kids and these are close -ups as examples of

of that name banner that are actually our grandkids did

on the psalm 23 project that's probably our most involved and nicest of our

projects so le porello and it depicts each of the six verses of psalm 23.

We originally did it with wooden frames which was a lot of work.

We've now developed a frame that is one

from one piece of paper heavier paper that works.

And anyway this this project folds down to a really compact size when

it's opened up it's really a valuable display of truth and reminds the

children of psalm 23 and what all is in that.

And for the different languages

depending on the project quite a few pages may be

needed to print out pdf pages from our website in

order to have the directions and and patterns.

Yeah for the projects pictures help.

In fact for some things we don't have patterns so we have to

use pictures and the directions to

for the children to make the projects.

And bible verses are also there to be printed out.

So we transitioned our ministry to idaho.

We uh are not just going into

retirement.

We have a lot of work to do.

We have more than 90 uh bible lesson centered craft projects yet to do to

make them ready for our website in german english and spanish.

And present website is alstroventure .com but we want to

get our new website up and running with bibleless and crafts .com and that is a better name

uh more appropriate for what we actually are putting on the website.

So it's another project where it took

over 100 files just to make these this

project in german english and spanish there's a lot of preparation um for these

things and but it's worth it.

So our go into all the world project has been on the website of a friend in

florida uh sarah keith with the sunday school teachers

association any case.

Um she put our project on her website

for sunday school teachers and uh it was just a link

to us.

So we have gotten uh requests from all over the world for this one

project and it's downloadable from our astroventure .com

website.

So we're very thankful for everyone who prays and waits and trusts the lord with us

for progress with the publishing of bibleless and centered crafts and i really

appreciate time that we could have with you sharing with you this

evening.

Is this the end of your presentation.

That's it.

Yeah we didn't want to ramble.

We could talk all night about all that god has done um

in different kids lives our own lives through the ministry that he has given us how we are blessed

by that ourselves and just so thankful.

And anyway we didn't want to ramble and just go on and on because like i said talk all

night through the next week even i was you know leading we we led

together the children with the music but i uh chose the songs and accompanied then the

songs with the children with the guitar.

Um and at this one retreat we had the

it was a weekend retreat uh well thursday friday thursday evening friday saturday

and sunday morning and uh the children learned this one song topped in this one song

from psalm 118 and it's in in three

parts and where one part of the group of children

begin and the next group sets in and then the next group sets

in and we sang this uh for a few hundred

um probably 300 children's workers in austria at their

conference so and afterwards uh one of

so a guy that we've known for many years he came up to us at lunch and he said you know there's some

heavenly things and that was one of them and that really blessed our hearts.

The children were were so super and singing that yeah so i mean you know there

are a number of stories tell about uh the children that we

had the privilege of ministering to and being with and yeah it was not

easy to leave austria uh but uh lord dearly dead.

So here we are in idaho and i'm looking for some place to live now.

Well um yeah so so maybe um because we.

Do have plenty of time so we have some questions.

So let's do the questions.

And then i thought maybe i could share your what i'll share my screen and share your website and you could just point

out a few things to people and then and then if you want to share one or two more stories after that time then

if that does that sound like a good idea to you guys.

Yeah sure sure.

So um let's see the first question here is um how did you get

started in crafts.

Was it working with the kids first or.

Working with the crafts first working with the kids first

because uh when we were at a retreat or um

like a seminar or whatever we would have a lot of time.

And because we have such a large age group you can't play games that whole time either.

The games are too scary hard whatever for little

ones and the competition that the older ones need is too much for the little ones and

and it just so we have to find a way that we can do things with all of them together

because we didn't have many helpers and it was just the two of us and

and so as i would really begin praying god how can we do this and what would be the best

way.

Because you can't sing the whole time you can't teach the whole time.

And games were difficult just because of the age span and some groups were

very large some were very small but sometimes it'll you'd have two or three that are really young

and two or three that are older like 10 12 whatever.

Not that we never did any games we did.

We did games but we did games that they could all do together and it wasn't so competitive and

so hard.

Usually after doing the crafts but god just started giving me ideas

for ways that we could explain the truths that we were teaching

and something they could take home and keep and be reminded and not just

take their colored paper and dump it in the trash can as it went out the door we didn't want that we

wanted crafts to be something of of value that the kids would treasure and

would remember what we taught because we didn't want to just do crafts to do

crafts we wanted that it be associated with god's word and with the lessons that we

were teaching.

Usually we especially if it was a week -long retreat we would have a theme for the

whole week like a series of lessons on the life of david or

christian character or um yeah fruits of the

spirit or whatever different things.

And we really sought god and what he wanted us to teach for every

group and we he was faithful.

God is so faithful and so um yeah and it usually

during a retreat somebody comes that's what i needed to hear.

That's what.

Yeah.

And then god gave us ideas for crafts to represent that

and it's been amazing to us to see the things that god

god gave us to do with the kids and he supplied also the materials that we would

need.

And um so so jessica's asking what difficulties did or do you face

serving in full -time ministry.

So i think okay say that ask this again.

This is kind of a what difficulties did or do you face.

Serving in full -time ministry.

Well.

You know in i was in leadership with our

american mission for a time and i

wasn't really prepared for it.

Well and i my kind of leading is more

where i step back and let the others have input

and do what they want to do.

And but that doesn't always

work so well if uh they

have ideas even if they have said they want to do a

certain thing they may not want to follow uh through what they follow

through with what they decided to do for example anyway

um so interpersonal relationships and understanding each other

and misunderstandings that can come up uh some more difficult

things in the work that we did with the children

um there were sometimes parents who were not of the same mind as we

were as far as how we did children's ministry

um yeah.

So you know you always have that type of thing.

But for us um you said we are guests in austria and

we need to listen to the austrian and what they wanted for their

country and how we could best help them.

And we did things differently than many missionaries and missionary organizations do

by putting ourselves under austrian leadership and we did end up being with the

german mission board the last 30 years and are very thankful for

that and thankful that we could uh listen to what

what the others uh felt was most important for their country.

Actually we had less problems.

But it's it's working cross -culturally that is not always so easy and

we need to step back and allow like in our case the austrians to

lead and to direct what we needed to do.

There are very few evangelical american missionaries in austria.

Now uh it's most of the work is being done by austrians

we're very thankful for that.

That's the way it should be.

We've seen god really raise up many many austrian leaders

who are good leaders.

And um faithful faithful to the lord to his word and

we're thankful and we're thankful for the opportunity that we had to serve there and.

It's very hard to leave.

Yeah i can imagine.

I mean i got to visit you guys and i know how much you were very settled there.

It was a nice life to to have there.

So um i'm going to go ahead and share my screen so that we can just kind of walk through your

website together.

Um i know we do have a couple of specific questions about your crafts.

So um let's do that.

Can you see what.

Where i can you see my screen also.

Yes.

Okay.

So um.

So june who just flew from idaho to california today she's asking if you have

any suggestions for palm sunday crafts.

So so first let's go through.

Where where do we find your crafts on.

And by the way this is astroventure .com although you mentioned that you're going to be changing your website soon

right.

So um i'm sure there won't be some transition time or if people come here they'll be able to find the

new link.

But but if we go to craft projects is that where we're going to find the the different crafts that people can print.

Yeah.

And then do you have do you have any that would.

Be appropriate for palm a palm.

Sunday craft.

Uh i don't think on the website yet.

Okay i know that we do have some that we have done in the past.

That are not they don't have directions yet which has been the problem.

The whole time is getting um writing the directions for the crafts

uh i don't.

The only thing that we have that is any holiday related thing is that there's one

uh advent devotional booklet and uh christmas ornaments and

there's john 14 six.

Well there are some verses that are more simple ones but um this one may also

be a more elaborate one.

Now this is just a small um it's for advent like there's a

it just is a strip that gets kids can just color it.

This we did it on a one morning kind of a thing so it wasn't very uh

sure craft if you go back um just click out of this

and uh go to uh back to the craft 14 six.

Waiters in life.

Us.

Oh so now we have lots of different links so we've got directions and the.

And the different patterns there.

Okay.

And this is uh if i click on the directions is there a picture.

Of the craft i think.

So.

Pdf comes up.

Oh okay i see that.

So it's it's two different ways it can be like in a small flower pot where you

just have the the arrows or in like a taped

into a can where the you can use it to put pencils in or

you know whatever.

Sure.

And now.

Okay so we are a.

Creation fellowship.

So i did see that you had something about noah.

Um.

Did you have do you have.

A craft about the days of creation we do.

But i don't think it's on the website yet.

Is it i don't.

But i do see your noah hair.

Yes arc one.

So let's look at that one.

We don't have many on the on our website because it takes so long to write the directions.

Yeah.

And this shows the different pieces.

And there is one like a two -sided cover.

Well that the top picture is the cover and when you it uh we

open it up it.

It's a papa.

So these other parts are in the middle of the page.

It shows you where to glue them on so that it pops up the right way.

That's fun.

One of the patterns shows uh where the.

Pieces are to be glued and so that's where what.

These other links are also yes and they need all.

Of these um parts parts and to make it the

pdfs.

All of the pdfs and uh copy them for as many children as they would want to

share with.

Okay what's your favorite craft on the website.

On the website.

Well this looks like another fun creation one this heaven and earth.

Yeah it's the.

Verse.

Um yeah you'll see it.

It's.

Is it like a mobile.

Yeah.

I think you were talking about that earlier.

Yeah.

Shall pass away but my word will not pass away.

Nice.

So you have the cloud and then a globe.

Oh there you go.

A cloud and then a globe.

Either in a ball or a flat shaped thing with with

like two sides of it.

Yeah.

So.

And then we made the simple form for the younger kids in a more elaborate form like the

bible would be really a 3d kind of a thing and um or else

just plain flat.

Some of the older kids really like doing a little bit more complicated things and.

And this is what needs to just go quickly.

This is where if robin's um if robin's internet was working well this is where she would have

inserted some kind of a snarky remark about fire.

That we we prefer to make the spherical version.

Right right.

And and we did too and and the kids really enjoyed that.

And we did have hours i mean in the morning we'd have usually eight from eight to 12 or right

after breakfast maybe 8 30 but we keep the kids with us until the parents came to pick them

up.

And some parents talk longer than others.

And so we were able to keep them busy and not just

busy work.

They were doing something that was valuable and worthwhile to.

Them.

Yeah.

Well um so a list of photos.

Is this.

A list of all of the ones that you have on the website or all of the

ones that you've made even if they're not on the website.

I don't think we have pictures of all they would be just the ones that are on the website.

Okay.

So there.

So there's an overview of all of the ones on the website.

Oh and like you do have the folding book here and yeah.

So those are some really fun ones like the perpetual calendar too.

It's it's one that the kids have all really.

Oh yeah.

Um and it's a lot of folding and a lot of you know

they have to do it right.

Color make it and color it and uh so the things that we

we've created or god's given us ideas for are things that are not

just simple that are done in 10 minutes.

Yeah they take a lot more time.

And we even have done had a test group of kids from our

neighborhood that would come in and try it and see how long it would take.

And some things take a lot of time.

But sometimes you i mean people can download these things and do it with their with their children or their

grandchildren.

And it's i don't know if you noticed the shape on some 23

craft there.

Um you might guess what those sheep actually are

which help me find which one 23.

Some 23 with the oh number nine.

Yeah this one that says no fear.

No.

No no those the the book.

Yeah the book.

Okay so if you if you can kind of zoom in on that what did we

use for the sheep.

Oh for the sheep is it cotton balls.

No what did you use.

It is close.

It's close but it's not cotton balls.

They are the tips of safety q -tips.

Children's children's.

Uh they call them safety ear swabs or whatever.

Yeah like the q -tips but it has that safety issue and it makes it like a little head

and okay.

Yeah.

Oh that's fun.

That's that's very creative.

And because we were looking for something because just to put a ball there doesn't really look like a sheep.

And these look like so it's it's work.

You know for people to who want to use these uh they to get the materials all together.

Yeah it's it takes some time but it pays off.

It's worth it.

Yeah like in this this particular version we had found a paper

that looked like a meadow and one that was like sky so it was like

wrapping paper or something and so we used that but then i couldn't find it anymore and so

we just uh use that have to find something fabric or

other things or even just plain paper.

Yeah.

But you can print out things like that.

Yeah.

So it's not like it's impossible.

No but it's very clever and it gets people thinking it's a.

It's a nice um change of pace for a technology world to be able to come up

with some creative hands -on projects so it'll get people you know

hopefully we have people in our audience who will come and do them and even if it takes a little bit of time or

thinking outside the box they'll be able to gather the supplies and and make it a worthwhile investment.

You notice the one number.

13 hula.

Bethesda bethesda.

Let me get back there.

Yeah there those the cross.

Well that's just one of what.

Three or four.

Three sides.

Three sides.

It's.

It has.

Um you turn those sticks sticks and it brings us the

picture.

Okay jesus loves you.

But there's uh you turn it.

There's three sides.

Three different things that it says three things there if i go to the instructions for it will it.

Show me that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Let me try that.

It may if it's on there.

So it's the list.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It'll be the pool of bethesda.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Getting some practice here.

Okay.

So there it.

Well i guess it's four.

No it's three -sided.

So there those are the five sticks or six sticks.

And so it says believe on the lord jesus christ and you will be saved.

And so once i you turn you only see the water and then the

other side you have the verse and then you have jesus like in the form of a

cross that jesus loves you.

Oh i see.

Act 1631.

So each piece is on a stick that rotates and each piece has four sides.

Right.

Okay.

That's three sides.

Yeah.

Three sides.

Okay.

Oh there you go.

Yeah that's cool.

Yeah so they have to make the pool that it's in.

And that obviously is the lesson that we taught.

But the the truth of it is

jesus loves me and he is concerned about me.

In my personal life whatever i'm going through and believing on

him we will be saved.

And whether we're saved from whatever physical thing we're going through right now or whatever we

are not alone he is with us and he wants to really

be our savior in whatever form that takes.

And it's just a visual that that helps to

remember that.

And that's in german english and spanish.

But the pictures i put on here are usually german.

Because we didn't always do it in english.

We always did crafts first in german.

And we started doing it in spanish because somebody had asked us do you have this in spanish.

Or we're going on a missions trip with our youth group.

Do you have anything in spanish we could take.

Yeah we started doing things in spanish although i don't speak any spanish.

Mark growing up in california.

Of course knew some.

But that's.

Why we have ibid who translates for us so um so

just once more for people to see before i i stop sharing is that the website is

astro like so astro venture which is a play on the fact that you

guys were in austria so and having adventures.

Right.

So astro venture and so it's astroventure .com and that's where people can find that and

find some pictures and other information about the time that you served for over 50

years now.

We do have um a little bit more time if you want to share a couple more stories about the

about the kids that um that you were able to minister to.

I think that i think that here at least here in the zoom room where we were enjoying hearing some of those.

Stories.

So maybe you'd like to tell a couple more of those.

Well there was uh another young gal who she

came to the retreats.

It was a moms and kids retreat and she was a little older already like she must

have been like 11 12.

So we didn't have her very often but i think

during that time she really solidified her walk with the lord and really wanted

to serve him.

And as a young teen she wanted to be baptized and

again she's one of the others to kept most every craft that she made with us.

And she didn't want to be baptized if we couldn't be there to be

part of that and to witness her baptism and missions has always been

one thing that we've emphasized with the children over the years.

And bella was one who early felt that god wanted her to share her faith with

others in whatever country and she has served god in many different places.

I know she was in italy for a while and after she married she and her husband wanted to go into

ministry together and they went to bible school in scotland and have

stayed to minister there and to see how god used some simple things to help her

and her walk with the lord.

And she has i don't know she still has those things

or might be impacted her parents but god used some of those things to speak to her heart and to

continue over the time after we'd been together and

and she's serving the lord with her family and a amazing ministry in scotland

and let's see who else could we tell about.

There's so many tell you about um

yeah with bella that was pretty exciting to see god lead her and then

um from um up in the forest

tail tail yeah but his grandson yeah yeah with our with that

uh wordless book banner that we made or banner that thing with the pockets

um one of the little boys very shy um just very very shy but every night

he wanted to do that with his dad practice practice telling the story using the wordless

book and um he's now a few years older and i'm sure

god has given him the courage to talk more boldly about his

faith.

At the time he was maybe five but he was very shy and we know that god can use him

too in a mighty way because he's preparing himself already to be able to share the

simple truth of the gospel with those five colors and

we've seen that that the crafts really have had an impact on on kids

lives and what.

Yeah that they can remember them more readily the word of god that has

yeah that they've seen that they have learned that they have sung and

been reminded.

Yeah i've been reminded of nearly every day when they look at it and like with that one boy over at

the the word was fair game to be able to forgive and that we can be

forgiven.

And he was a foster child shared that.

Yes okay yeah.

And so he had a difficult time with being foster child loving parents

but he was at first at least he was i had a hard time

following and we had a rule uh for the

discipline and we would tell the children we need to respect each other help each other and

if you can't do that if you can't concentrate and pay attention then

we give you one warning and two warnings.

And the third time we would take you to their parents and interrupt everything and

uh yeah the children when we we didn't always share that

but when we did we heard uh well that's embarrassing.

And i mean you would think or if we didn't say it well yeah

but we almost took robert into his parents

fortunately we didn't have to he uh chose to be respectful

and yeah and that was a milestone in his life.

And uh you know the other kids they don't appreciate it when somebody's

stealing their time basically by taking up time by being unruly

you know.

So anyway we you can't always do that.

Of course we had a special situation where we were able to do that type of thing.

In some schools it's a different situation but kids appreciate it.

Usually when their time is not being robbed by somebody is being a

mess.

But there there have been many many other children that you know we only were able to see

most of them once a year and uh when would come and tell us

the things that they remember from the last time what are we going to do this time what are we going to learn about what are

we going to make and to see their excitement.

And it's very infectious.

And two for us to make us even more excited about what we do.

We love what we do with children and excited about the things that god has given

us and the opportunities we've had.

But to see the kids excited about learning about the lord and learning god's word

and making something that represents that and that they can take home with them that they can remember.

And they would usually just come running and excited that we were going to do things

together.

And one thing that was uh kind of hard for us

last uh summer when we were in austria packing up our household we

went to a birthday party of one of our colleagues and the kids from that church they

came running up to us so happy to see us.

And then it was like now wait a minute why weren't you here.

When we had our retreat we did finally be have our retreat and you weren't there.

And then we had to tell them that we were also going to be leaving austria.

And is it no that doesn't work.

The next time we have a retreat you're going to be there even if it's with a zoom meeting and

somebody will do the crafts with us.

But you have to do this with us.

You've got to figure this out.

We just just to see that um they wanted

that input from god's word and they wanted the time to do crafts with us and

to have more things to remember god's word and the bible lessons that they had.

And um he said you know if you figure this out we will come back to austria

if there are enough churches that are have a retreat scheduled around the same time.

We'll come so we'll see what god does whether we can go back and do

more retreats with some of these.

Churches that we've served over many years.

Well indeed god god is faithful.

So um it's it's exciting for me as your um as one of your supporters and

friends to see what he has in store for the rest of of the time.

So um let's do one more time.

You want to tell people how they can find you and also if.

They'd like to support you how how they could do that too.

Um our well uh okay our email address

is mark n as a mark with k and then n like

north pole uh becky brian all

written together all small at icloud .com

so that's the easiest way to reach us.

We check the email often very often and then of course your website is austraventure

.com so but we put out an update every month

and for those who want to hear more and oftentimes

it's the same things that we share monthly but there are usually

added things that are important that we share weekly too.

So so ongoing prayer requests and and mostly prayer requests.

Yeah but news and what like what's going on here in the bible club and

and like right now um we're staying with our son his wife and family

and we're in uh shay's

office so uh you know it's we're we're

looking to to find a place but we've needed to wait until the funds from the

sale of our house in austria come through and it's um with the price is the

way they are now it's um we'll be able to find something and we just are

looking to the lord to provide something where we can have ministry where we can have people

in and have room to do ministry but we also need

room for um continuing with the crafts and we have to in a sense

redo everything as we write the the directions so we need space and

we're just trusting god to provide that right house for us and that's the main prayer request for us

but also for one of the kids clubs um well the club that we worked with our colleagues within

austria that god just continued to bring the kids in.

They are allowed to meet again and we're thankful for that.

They ingrid our colleague does need help still in being able to do

that and let god just continue to draw the children team she's the one that

has club in the house in neumarkt so um

yeah and all the other other information as far as uh church and

mission are in our updates so also for support if anyone would like

to contribute they can find the information there for dm stern's missionary fund.

So if anyone writes to us an email

mark is very faithful in answering every email right away.

Okay well i'm going to be quick.

About closing out here and if you guys can stay back because we have a few questions in zoom but just so

that everybody else knows we're creation fellowship santee.

You can find us links to most of our past presentations at tinyurl .com.

Forward slash cf santee that c like creation f like fellowship santee is

spelled s -a -n -t -e -e.

You can also email us at creationfellowshipsantee at gmail .com.

And our next speaker next week we're going to be having israel wayne.

He's a homeschool dad and a and he speaks quite a bit to families helping

um to encourage them.

And next week he'll be talking to us about a biblical view of economics.

So you'll be want to you'll want to be sure to join us for that all.

Right.

So with that we're going to go ahead and turn off the live stream and recording.

Um give me just a minute while i find all of those buttons.

There we go.

And that one.